*Author's Note*
And here's another one for you! I hope you enjoy:)Chapter 11
As Rey and Chewie successfully landed the Millenium Falcon at the Resistance Base on D'Qar, she gave him a nervous look. Rey didn't know how the people there would treat her and Kylo, especially since he just killed one of their own. Oh, and he killed many more in previous battles against them. Slowly standing up from her seat, she went back to check on Kylo. She found him all sweaty with his eyes closed, and his blood had soaked through the makeshift bandage she had made out of his robe a few hours earlier. She could feel his pain and suddenly felt sorry for him. He just killed his own father, so why do I feel like this?
Kneeling beside him, she tore off another piece of his robe and wiped away the sweat from his face. His eyes slowly fluttered open and they locked with hers. "Rey, I-"
"We've landed, at the Resistance base. I need to get you to the medical wing quickly," she interrupted him. He had been trying to speak to her every time she was near him, but she wouldn't listen. Rey didn't want to hear what he had to say for himself.
Kylo winced in pain as she helped him sit up. Once he was in a sitting position, she slowly pulled him to his feet. He was weak and unsteady, so he leaned on her for support. She wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked down the ramp into the sea of people waiting for them. Once they all caught sight of Kylo, the crowd went dead silent. The only noises that were heard were the sound of the two's feet and the occasional grunt from Kylo. She could feel his embarrassment as he let her help him. Turning her head to look at him, she gave him a reassuring nod.
"He needs to be brought to the medical wing," she said to the crowd, hoping someone would help her. When no one stepped forward, she became more harsh. "Someone help him!" She yelled. An old man and woman came forward, the old man going to the opposite side of Kylo and the woman going to Rey. Rey felt Kylo's emotions change, and she wasn't really sure what it meant. The woman took her face in both of her wrinkled hands and whispered, "I don't know what you're doing with him, but I'm with you." Rey smiled at the old woman and whispered a short "thank you" as the woman hurried to get a wide wooden board that was leaning against a nearby ship. She brought it over and laid it down, motioning for more people to help them. A few others joined as Rey and the old man laid Kylo on the board. Quickly, he grabbed her hand. "Don't go," was all he said. He had hope in his eyes, hope that she would stay with him. Her heart broke at the sight. She couldn't leave him, not like this, surrounded by people who probably want to kill him. "I won't. Ever," she promised him as a small smile formed on his face and his eyes drifted closed. She walked with the people carrying him to the medical bay, not once letting go of his hand.
When the group reached the medical area, there were a few droids that Rey had recognized as Medical Droids from back on Starkiller. There were also people that Rey assumed to be the doctors that would work on Kylo. She was worried, though, that if they knew who he was, they would not help him and let him die. She made her way towards the old woman from earlier and whispered to her, "Please don't tell them who he is. He needs help."
The woman nodded, understanding Rey's request. She pulled Rey impossibly closer and reached up to put her mouth right beside her ear. "I don't know how you can be with this man, but from what I've noticed, this is love. Real love. Don't waste it," the woman told her.
Rey furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
The woman sighed and continued to speak. "I've been around here for a long time and I know what this man has done. I've seen it with my own eyes. Just because he has done incredibly stupid things, you must forgive him. You love him and he loves you. I can feel it. Don't leave him. As much as you want to deny it, you need him and he needs you. You were brought together for a reason."
"What? How do you know all of this? Who are you?"
The woman smiled at Rey and motioned towards Kylo, before leaving the area. Rey wanted to stop her, but she wasn't going to leave his side. No matter what. She didn't know who that woman was, but for some reason, Rey felt like this woman was telling the truth. When Kylo got better, she was going to talk to him about it.
It had been two days since Rey had arrived at the Resistance base, and she had only left the medical wing once. Finn had came in with a man that she didn't recognize, she soon learned that his name was Poe, and he convinced her to eat lunch with him while Poe kept Kylo company. Rey was glad that Kylo had remained asleep the entire time that she was gone, for she felt Poe's reluctance and uneasiness around him and assumed that the two had an intense history. The rest of her time, she spent at Kylo's bedside. The droids that were serving him had given him painkillers, which made him sleep a lot. When he wasn't sleeping, the two would share stories about their childhood. Rey enjoyed this, since she was getting to see a much more personal side of Kylo. He talked about his time training to become a Jedi, the journeys that he had been on, and surprisingly, he talked about his family. He told her about how he used to play with Chewie, and that Han would let him pilot the Falcon, which his mother didn't appreciate. Rey knew that he was avoiding the times that he spent with Snoke as his master, and she didn't mind. She loved to hear about life when he was a child.
Today, Kylo was telling her about how he had beaten his Uncle Luke at a lightsaber duel when he was a kid. That was until he abruptly stopped his story and stared straight ahead. Rey, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, craned her neck as her eyes went to a woman that she didn't recognize. She could tell her hair used to be brown, but now the majority of the strands were silver. It was swept up in a braided bun that Rey found quite beautiful. Rey could sense Kylo's bitterness towards this woman. Who is she? She asked him through the bond. That's my mother. He replied. Rey swallowed and continued to look at her, though she took Kylo's hand in hers and began to soothingly stroke it with her thumb. She could feel him relax a little at her touch. The woman's eyes flickered to their conjoined hands and then to Rey. "So this is the girl I've heard so much about. I have to say, Ben, she is quite beautiful."
Rey felt him tense again when she said that name. Ben? That must be his real name. Kylo continued to stare at her. Wait, she just complemented me. "Thank you, umm-"
"Organa. General Organa. But please, call me Leia. Do you think that maybe we could speak in private, Rey?"
She looked at Kylo, as if to ask him permission, but he didn't even glance at her. "Um, of course," she replied. She felt the panic rip through Kylo at her words. He looked at her then, with wide eyes.
"I'll be right outside when you're ready," Leia said, knowing that the two needed some time to talk. When she left, Kylo finally spoke. "You... she... Don't leave," he pleaded.
Rey moved closer to him on the bed and put her hands on his face. "Kylo, everything will be okay. I'm just going to talk with her."
"I know, but-"
"But what?"
"Nothing. I... I love you," he told her, his eyes still begging for her to stay with him. Rey rested her forehead against his. "I love you too," she whispered before pressing her lips to his in a much needed kiss. They hadn't kissed since the day that they left Starkiller, and it felt so good. When they broke apart, Rey asked him the question that had been swimming in her mind since she found out that the General was his mother. "How long has it been since you've seen her?"
"11 years."
"Will you consider speaking with her?"
"Rey, I can't-"
"Just consider it, for me," she told him as she got up and walked to the door. Before she could open it, she heard him say, "I'll consider it. For you."
Rey found Leia right where she said she'd be, outside of the door. They shared a glance before Leia led her through the base, into what looked to be her private quarters. There was a main room with a desk and a few chairs, and there were three doorways leading to other rooms. Rey could see a bed through one of the doors, which she assumed to be hers. Leia sat at the desk and motioned for Rey to sit in one of the chairs on the other side. There was a small silence before Leia spoke. "So, Rey, Finn told me he found you on Jakku, is that correct?"
Rey replied with a nod, hoping that the General wouldn't just want to talk about her life on Jakku. "How long were you on Jakku?"
Well, she hoped. "As long as I can remember. My... my family told me that they would come back for me so I stayed there, to wait for them."
"But they never came."
Rey shook her head, biting her lip to distract herself from thinking about the fact that her tears were about to fall. Leia noticed this and decided to change the subject. "When did you meet Ben? I mean, Kylo Ren." She said his name with a sour look on her face.
"When I was on Takodana, he found me in the forest and took me to Starkiller."
"How did you get him to fall in love with you?"
"How do you know that he-"
"He's my son. I can read him like a book, no matter how long it's been since I've seen him. The way he looks at you, I've never seen him look at anything that way before, and that was even before Snoke, well," Leia looked down then, and Rey could feel her sorrow.
"He trained me. Not in the ways of the Dark Side, but just in the Force. He took me with him on one of his missions to Naboo and well, it just sort of happened."
"You love him," she said, more of a statement instead of a question.
Rey answered anyway. "Yes."
"Even after all he has done?"
"Yes," she said, a little quieter.
"It was him wasn't it? He murdered Han."
Rey could only nod. She felt the tears in her eyes again, but refused to let them fall. "Do you think he would talk to me?"
"I think so. He told me he would consider it if I-"
"If you wanted him to," Leia finished her sentence with a smile. "You've got him wrapped around your finger, don't you?" she said, trying to lighten the mood.
Rey smiled. "I've seen into his mind. He would do anything for me. That's why he killed Han. It was so I would leave the base without him."
"Well that plan obviously failed. Come on," she said standing up, "let's get you back to him. He might be worried," she said with a wink. Rey stood up and followed Leia out of the room, back to Kylo's medical room.
When they were about to enter, Leia stopped Rey by putting a hand on her shoulder. Without words, Rey knew that she was nervous. She smiled at her and gave her a reassuring nod before peeping her head into his room, seeing that Kylo was asleep. "He's asleep. You should be there when he wakes up," Rey told her. "I'm just going to find Finn and get some lunch."
Leia entered the room but before she shut the door, she let out a quiet "thank you." When the door was shut, Rey made her way towards the dining hall. She hoped that Kylo would forgive her for this.
Kylo slowly awoke, his hand reaching out for Rey. He felt around for her hand and grabbed it, except it wasn't hers, it was-
He jerked his hand back as his eyes flew open. "What are you doing here? Where's Rey?"
"That's the first thing you're going to say to me after 11 years?" When he said nothing, she continued. "She went to have some lunch with Finn so I could talk to you."
"Well I don't want to talk."
"Ben-"
"Don't call me that!" He spat at her. He hadn't looked at her yet, but suddenly he felt the urge to. He hadn't gotten a good look at her since he was a boy. His eyes set on her then, and he took it all in. She was older now, with wrinkles lining her face. Her hair had gotten more grey too, but her eyes were the same. She still had the same loving eyes that his mother once had.
"Why did you kill him?" She asked him, her face hard like a stone.
He hadn't felt remorse since he was little, but now, he felt it. He could feel his mother's pain, and he was sorry for it. The least he could do was tell her the truth.
"I did it for her. When I contacted you, I meant what I said. She was in trouble. Snoke would've killed her if she hadn't have left, and she wouldn't leave without me. I thought that if I could make her hate me, then she would leave me there, but I was..." he trailed off.
"Wrong. You were so wrong. But I forgive you. I forgive you for everything you've done. Do you know why?" She grabbed his hand then, and he didn't pull away. "Because you're my son. You'll always be my son, and I love you."
Kylo couldn't do this anymore. It was too much, too soon. Rey, come back. I need you.
"You know I can't say it back. I'm not, I just-"
"I understand," she said as she got up. "I'll go find Rey. Oh, and I was told you'll be released soon, so will I need to prepare two rooms or one?" She asked him with a knowing smile.
"One," he answered as she walked out of the door.
It wasn't long before Rey returned to him. As she entered his room, she slowly made her way towards his bed and sat down. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into him and rested his chin on her head. "I take it your conversation went well?" She asked him, her voice muffled by his shirt.
"I wouldn't say it went well, but it was a start. Thank you," he said, pulling back and kissing her head. "I love you," he said, staring right into her eyes.
"I love you too," she said, leaning up to give him a peck on the lips. As soon as Kylo deepened the kiss, a medical droid knocked on the door and entered. It checked his wound and bandaged it up again, commanding him to stand up and try to walk. Rey offered him her hand as she helped him out of the bed and onto his feet. "You know, you've been needing my help a lot lately. I think you should call me Master now," she joked with him.
"Not a chance. I'll be better before you know it, and soon, I'll be beating you in our duels again," he replied with a smirk. She laughed as she helped him walk around the room. Within a couple of minutes, he was walking on his own. He only struggled a little when he stepped on his left foot, for his weight was pushed onto his left side, but other than that he was walking just fine. Rey smiled at him and gave him a rewarding kiss. "Maybe I should get hurt more often. Then I'd get more kisses like that," he smiled at her.
"Don't you dare," she laughed, giving him another kiss. They had just broken apart when the door opened and Leia returned. "Oh good, you're walking. I've come to escort you both to your room. Follow me," she said as she gave them both a wink. Rey wrapped her arm around Kylo's waist as they left the room, and he looked down on her. "You know I don't need help, right?" he whispered.
"I know," was all she said, but she didn't remove her hold she had on him. They entered the room they were given and Rey was in shock. It looked almost identical to the one that belonged to Leia. She never would get used to staying in such luxurious rooms like the ones she had been given. Exhausted from their walk, Kylo took a seat in one of the chairs as Leia spoke to them. "Now, you both need to understand that the people here are not exactly fond of the idea that we have a Knight of Ren here at the base. Especially one with such a high position in the First Order. For now, I am going to need you to stay in this room. You can't be wandering around the base. Is that understood?" she spoke to him.
"So, this is like a prison. You have to keep me locked in here because you don't trust that I won't get information about the Resistance and send it back to the First Order. Or better yet, you don't trust that I won't go around and kill every person in sight," he snapped at her.
"Kylo-" Rey began.
"No Rey, it's quite alright," she said as she turned to him. "No, I don't trust you Ben. I have no idea how you will behave yourself here. That is why I need you to stay in this room so you can gain my trust. If you can't do that, then I will have to put you in an actual cell."
Kylo swallowed and was about to fire back when he heard Rey in his head. Don't you dare was all she said. "Okay, I'll stay in here. On one condition," he told her.
Leia looked surprised, but interested. Rey was beyond annoyed. He had no room to bargain for anything. "And that is?" Leia asked him, eyebrows raised.
"Do you have a training room? My apprentice and I need to practice," he told her, gesturing over to Rey.
Leia sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I will allow you to go once a day, but only if Rey is with you. Your lightsaber will remain in that room at all times, understood?"
"Understood," he confirmed.
"Good, now enjoy the rest of your night," she reluctantly said as she exited their room. Once she was gone, Rey turned to Kylo and tilted her head to the side. "What?" he asked her.
"Really? You couldn't just listen to her and do what she told you."
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not one for taking commands. I'd rather give them," he said while standing up and grabbing Rey's hand, pulling her towards the bed. "Now come on, we have a lot of making up to do," he told her as he tackled her down and took off his shirt, showing the bandages that were covering his wound. Rey knew it was going to be a long night.
*Author's Note*
There was LOTS of character development in this one, so I'm sorry if it was a little boring. I will be pretty busy the next few days, so next chapter should be out on Sunday. Please review!